“City of God” (2002), a raw portrait of the carioca favela, was mostly shot in the neighboring Cidade Alta slum.
From 1808 to 1821 Rio was literally the capital of the Kingdom of Portugal, after John VI's court fled Lisbon ahead of Napoleon.
On Monday nights head to Pedra do Sal, the birthplace of samba in Little Africa, for an open-air street roda.